love again
by prettylittle1Dfanfics
Summary: it's a story with the cast of PLL but it has nothing to do with the tv-show. my friend raya invented the whole story and it's B-E-A-UTIFUL!
1. Chapter 1

**Ashley's POV**

"Wake up! Wake up!"

I forced my eyelids open to see Raya's face hovering over me. "Whaaat?" I groaned.

"We're going shopping for the meeting tonight!" she cheered, jumping on my bed and crushing my legs.

"Raya!" I whined. "Get off, and I might be able to get up!"

She jumped off the bed, and I sat up. "Do we seriously need to go shopping for an outfit?" I asked.

Her mouth gaped open. "Ashley! You've never questioned a reason to go shopping!" She pulled on my arm, making me get out of bed.

I thought about it. She was right. I was always looking for a reason to shop. I said, "Well… I could use a few new outfits for my wardrobe…"

She smiled. "Yay! I knew you'd come around! We're going to have so much fun tonight!"

The corners of my mouth turned up into a smile. She was right, we were going to meet THE Pretty Little Liars cast tonight! That's definitely something to look forward to.

My ears rang from the thousands of screaming girls. Raya's parents had dropped us off three hours early, but there were still many people in front of us. However, I was feeling kind of excited. I was wearing one of the new outfits I bought: a cut off shirt with a smiley on it that had a moustache, dark skinny jeans, and gray Vans. Raya was also wearing a new outfit: a floral blouse, faded boot cut jeans, and a pair of white wedges.

We had both curled our hair, but mine was put in a side messy braid that fell down my shoulder. Raya's hair was longer than mine, so she just left it curled.

We had our VIP tickets in our hands and we were jumping in excitement.

A security man led us backstage. "Just wait here and the cast will be out in a second to meet you." He left us alone.

Raya turned towards me. "Ready to get some boys' digits?" she asked.

"My fun-mode is on, and my phone is ready," I confirmed.

She nodded quickly, either from having too much caffeine or being excited. Or both.

A few minutes later, 3 boys and 3 girls came out. I discretely searched for the the boy with the brown curled hair and deep blue eyes and spotted him partly hidden behind the others.

"So you're Raya and Ashley?" the one asked. He had nice eyes I noticed.

"Yes!" Raya said. "I'm Raya." She batted her eyelashes. He was obviously her favorite.

"And I'm Ashley," I said with the warmest, friendliest, most non-fangirl-ish smile I could muster.

"Well, if you don't know us already, let us introduce ourselves," the boy said. "I'm Keegan."

"I'm Ashley," the blonde girl said.

"I'm Julian," the other boy said.

"I'm Troian,"

"I'm Shay"

The brown curled guy was silent. I don't know if he was even paying attention to what was going on.

"That's Ian," Keegan whispered. "Don't mind him. He, uh… isn't very social."

"Well!" Troian said, slapping her hands together. "Let's get on with the tour, shall we? That way, ladies." She motioned which way to go. The cast was in Belgium for a fanmeeting and also to film a part for the show.

Raya happily skipped onward. But I sauntered back a little so I ended up towards the back of the group. I looked at Ian, and he met my gaze for a second before looking away, just like he had done before. I wondered if he recognized me.

"So your name is Ian, huh?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

He nodded but continued to stare at the ground.

"You know, if you like looking at the floor so much, just take a picture. It will last longer," I lamely joked.

For a split second, the right corner of his mouth twitched up. But it quickly returned to its original set line.

I inwardly groaned. What would it take to get this boy to respond?

Keegan gave me a look that said, 'Just give up.' I shrugged in response.

"Alright, girls," Ashley said. She abruptly stopped walking, making me run into the back of Julian's head.

"Ow," I muttered.

Julian turned around and asked, "You okay?"

I nodded and turned my attention back to Ashley, who was acting like the leader of the tour. She said, "This is where we get our makeup done."

I held back a laughed as I gazed upon the salon-like seats and various mirrors. Makeup was strewn across the tables.

"Hey, don't laugh. It makes us look good," Keegan said, stroking his cheek like a model.

I could no longer contain my laughter. Raya was laughing also, her face still bright with excitement from meeting the cast.

Keegan smiled at Raya's laugh, looking pleased with himself. She stopped and met his gaze. He pretended to turn his attention to something else, his cheeks showing a little pink. I pretended not to notice his obvious crush on my best friend.

"Let's continue on," he said. He led us inside a different door. "This is the sound room. It has a view of the entire stage via cameras."

I chuckled and saw he was right. Above various control panels were monitors that showed several angles of the stage. There were men cleaning up the platform. I sat down on one of the chairs on wheel and slid up to a control panel. I tapped on the microphone, and a thudding noise echoed on the stage, making the working men look around in confusion.

I laughed and said away from the mic, "I guess the sound is still on. Hey, can one of you guys make it so that my voice will sound really low?"

"Yeah, hold on," Julian said, adjusting some controls.

"Wait—we'll get in trouble!" Shay said. But she had a mischievous smile on her face.

Ian stood hidden behind everyone, his gaze fixed on the monitors. I swear, I haven't seen that boy's mouth open once since the concert ended. It made me want to get to know him better.

"Oh, who cares?" I said adventurously. "I'll take all the blame if anything happens."

Julian said, "Ok, it should be working now."

I held up by hands for everyone to be quiet. I said slowly into the microphone, "I am the voice from above. Drop your mops at once."

The men's eyes grew wide, and they dropped whatever they were holding. The cast, Raya, and I were trying not to laugh as I went on theatrically, "You must go pick up seven ice cream cones and bring them backstage at once!"

Keegan couldn't contain himself any longer and burst out in laughter. The microphone made his laugh ring out over the stage, low and growl-like. The rest of us couldn't help but burst out laughing also.

One of the men took out a walky-talky and called for security.

Everyone froze.

"Hurry! Under the stage! Now!" Ashley whisper-yelled.

Raya and I ran out behind them, and they led us underneath the stage. We sat down under many wood beams. It was dark, and I am deathly afraid of the dark. My body started to shake. I grabbed the hand nearest to me, and I felt shivers go down my spine—and not from fear. Whichever boy it was whose hand I grabbed wrapped his warm fingers around mine, making a zing pulse through me. I felt surprisingly calm, and my breathing evened out.

My eyes finally adjusted to the dark. I followed our clasped hands up his arm and to his face.

It was Ian.

He looked back at me, the right corner of his mouth starting to turn up into a smile. Almost. His mouth returned to its normal thin line. But I saw it, and I smiled in return. He didn't let go of my hand, and I wasn't about to let go of his.

"You alright, Ashley?" Raya asked quietly. She knew my fear of the dark.

She was too far away from Ian and me for me to see her.

"I'm fine," I answered.

"I think it's safe to go out," I heard Keegan say. "Maybe we should go out the back way to the van, just in case."

"We?" I repeated.

"Yeah, we can take you two girls home," Ashley said. "Let's get out of here."

I reluctantly got out of my comfortable position and followed them out from under the stage. We carefully hid among the shadows until we were out the back door. Raya and I were led to a blue van.

"I call shotgun!" Ashley exclaimed. She ran into the passenger seat.

The rest of us climbed into the van. Julian was driving, Ashley and I took the middle two seats, and the others took the three back seats.

"So, gals, where do you live?" Julian asked.

We gave him my address, which he entered into the GPS.

During the ride home, the boys talked about how awesome their first meeting in Belgium was. They asked Raya and me if we liked it, and we showered them with compliments. They then went on to talk about how awesome my little prank was on the clean-up crew and talked about how exciting our escape was. All I could think about was how it felt to hold Ian's hand.

Sadly, we arrived at my house.


	2. Chapter 2

We started to walk to my house when Ashley rolled down the window and said, "Wait! You aren't going to leave your numbers or anything?"

"Why, you want us to?" I teased.

"Well, most girls do," Julian said with a shrug with his hands on the wheel.

I laughed. "Is this you guys' way of asking for our numbers?"

Shay rolled her eyes. "Just give us your numbers already!"

Raya and I gave them our numbers and reluctantly said our goodbyes. We walked up onto the porch and waved as they drove off.

I turned to Raya and said, "See? Told you I could make friends."

She beamed a smile. "Oh, shut up! Let's get inside and go to sleep! It's freaking two in the morning!"

My alarm clock went off at 7:30 sharp. I groaned. I'd forgotten about my job I had every Sunday morning to walk the neighbors' dogs. I shut the alarm off quickly so I wouldn't wake Raya up. I reluctantly got out of bed and lazily pulled my hair up into a pony tail. I knew the weather would be warm, so I pulled on some denim shorts and an orange tank-top. I skipped breakfast (since Raya would have to serve it to me later this morning) and headed out.

My first stop was next door. I knocked on the door, and Mrs. Muck opened it. She is a nice old lady, although her name is rather unfortunate.

"Good morning, Mrs. Muck," I said cheerfully. "Is Lil' Bit ready?"

"He is, Ashley darling," she said with a smile. She held out her small Chihuahua and his leash.

"I'll be back in an hour," I promised.

"Thank you, dear. You're very kind." She shut the door, and I left for my next customer.

Pretty soon, I had five dogs on five leashes in my hands: two Chihuahuas, a bull dog, a poodle, a beagle, and a large husky. They were all pretty well behaved. The only time they were troublesome was when they passed by other dogs.

Basically, my job was to walk them around the neighborhood for an hour and return them to the owners. I was always done by 9 am. And I got paid for it. I'm saving up money for when I leave for college because my senior year just ended, and I don't want to have to be so reliant on my parents. I had planned on moving out this summer, but I haven't found a place yet. Besides, I like the house I'm in, and my parents aren't around much. I basically live alone already.

We passed a kid with a black lab, and my five dogs pulled on their leashes, barking like mad. But I was prepared for this. I took out a clicker and clicked it a few times to divert their attention from the passing dog and spoke soothing words. Pretty soon, the black lab was gone, and I continued the walk. It was actually kind of nice to get some sun and feel the morning breeze.

Five minutes until nine o'clock, I started taking the dogs back home. First, I returned the husky. The owner was very wealthy and gave me fifty dollars. Next, I dropped off the beagle. The owner gave me twenty dollars. Then I dropped off the female Chihuahua. Just like the stereotypical Chihuahua owner, this dog's owner was a very dramatic housewife with an attitude and a rich father. She gave me sixty dollars for taking such good care of her "baby". Then I returned the poodle to her owner, who was a ten-year-old spoiled girl. Her mom gave me twenty bucks. The last stop was my next-door neighbor, Mrs. Muck, who was my personal favorite. She was the only one in the neighborhood that Raya and I didn't play pranks on, and that says a lot.

"Hello again, Mrs. Muck," I said when she opened the door. I released her Chihuahua, and he ran past her into the house. I saw him lay on her couch, tired from the walk. I gave her the leash.

"Thank you very much, dear," she said. "Now he won't be so energetic." She chuckled. "Well, at least for a little while, that is."

"It's no problem," I said politely.

She opened her wallet and fished around for money. "Well... I'm afraid I only have ten dollars..."

I held up my hand. "That's more than enough."

She smiled and handed me a ten dollar bill. "You're such a sweet heart."

I shrugged and joked, "I try."

She laughed a little and said, "I'll see you next Sunday, dear."

I nodded, and she shut the door.

Looks like another successful work day.

When I got home, I counted up the money I made: one-hundred and sixty dollars. Sometimes it pays off to live in a wealthy neighborhood.

I tiptoed to my room so I wouldn't wake up Raya, but I could hear the shower running. Raya wasn't in my room, so she must have already been up and in the shower. I headed to the back glass sliding door and saw Mom sitting on the back patio, engulfed in writing. All she was paying attention to was her pencil and paper. I then went to my parents' bedroom and put my ear to the door. I could hear snoring, so I knew that Dad was getting some sleep before getting called back to the hospital. The shower shut off.

"Ashley! Ashley!" I heard Raya yell.

I ran through my room to my bathroom door and asked, "What?!"

"I need a towel! The door is unlocked and I'm behind the curtain, so you can come in," Raya said.

I grabbed a towel from the top shelf of my closet and opened the bathroom door. I quickly threw in the towel and shut the door.

"Thank you!" Raya said.

I rolled my eyes. "You know, you still have to serve me breakfast!"

I heard her groan.

"I won the bet," I said through the door.

"Fine," she muttered. "I'll make your stupid breakfast as soon as I'm ready."

My phone started ringing, and I found it among my bed sheets. I didn't recognize the number, but I answered it anyway. "Hello?"

"Hi there. Is this Ashley?"

"Keegan?"

"Oh good! It's you!" Keegan said. "Look, uh, we need some help."

"What kind of help?" I asked.

Raya came out of the bathroom in a v-neck and skinny jeans and asked, "Who's that?"

I shushed her quickly.

"Well, you see..." Keegan started to say.

I heard another voice say, "Oh just give me the phone!" A few seconds later, another voice said, "Hello, it's Troian. I'm going to get straight to the point. Keegan and Julian got us kicked out of our hotel, and we don't have anywhere to stay. So we were wondering if maybe... Well, we don't want to impose, but..."

"You're asking if you can stay here?" I guessed.

"Well, yes. I know it's rather rude, but we'd be massively grateful if-" she rambled.

I interrupted, "Don't worry! It's fine. I'll just ask my parents and see what they say. I'm sure we have enough rooms for you guys."

"Oh! Thank you!"

"Don't thank me yet," I said. "I haven't even talked to my parents yet. But I'll call you later and tell you what they say."

"Alright. We'll talk to you later then."

"Yep. Bye." I hung up.

"Who was that?" Raya asked.

"That was... Keegan and Troian," I said, still not really believing it. I just finished talking to two-fifths of the Pretty Little Liars on the phone. Wow, I was really starting to act like a fan girl.

She screamed.

I instantly covered her mouth. "Shush! My dad is sleeping."

"No he's not."

Raya and I turned our heads to the door where my dad was standing.

"Dad! I have to talk to you!" I said.

He adjusted the watch on his wrist and said, "Alright, but make it quick. I was called in for work at the hospital, and they except me over there quickly."

I hastily explained, "There's a cast in town and they need a place to stay. They were wondering if they could stay here."

He thought for a moment. "Are they nice people?"

"Yep," I replied. "They're very polite."

"Raya, have your parents met them?" he asked. He always did that. If Raya's parents approved of something, he approved. He never had the time to find out for himself.

"Of course," Raya lied, giving him a convincing smile.

"Alright," he said. "They can stay here, but not permanently. Don't let them destroy the house, and tell your mother about this before they get here."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I cried, running to him and kissing his cheek. "Have a nice time at work, Daddy!"

He smiled. "Love you, Ashley. Have fun with your friends." He picked up his brief case and walked out of my room.

Once I heard the front door close, I rushed out to the back patio. I walked up to my mom and cleared my throat. "Mom?"

She looked up from her work. "What, dear? Make it quick. I'm on to something here, and once I write it down, I'm off to the office to get it approved."

"Well, 3 boys and 3 girls are going to be staying in the house," I said.

"What?"

"Wait a minute," I said quickly, shaking my head. "Let me put that in better terms: A cast needs a place to stay. Daddy said yes, so it's already decided that they're coming. I just came out here to warn you."

"And Raya's parents have met them?" she asked.

I inwardly huffed. She was just like Dad. "Yes."

She shrugged. "Alright. Be careful."

"Thanks, Mom!" I gave her a quick hug and ran back inside.

Mom and Dad never conferred with Raya's parents, so I knew Raya and I could safely lie. This wasn't the first time, either.

I joined Raya in the kitchen. She said, "While you call the boys, I'll make you your breakfast. What do you want?"

I answered, "I'll have chocolate chip pancakes."

"That's all?" she asked, feigning utter amazement. "I thought you'd make me suffer."

I shrugged indifferently. "I'm in a good mood. Don't ruin it."

She laughed and said, "Alright. Now hurry and call the cast back."

I pat down my pockets, but I didn't feel my phone. "Dang it. I left my phone in my room. I'll be right back," I said. I ran to my room and grabbed my phone off my nightstand. I opened my call history and called the latest number.

"Hello?" I heard.

"Keegan? This is Ashley," I said.

"Oh, hi, Ashley!" he said. "That was quick."

"Yes, well, I asked my parents, and they said that you guys are allowed to come." I heard woops and hollers on the other end. "Is your phone on speaker?" I asked.

"Yes it is," I heard Ashley say. "We'll get packed and be over there soon."

"How soon?" I asked.

I heard them discuss it a little. A voice that sounded like Julian said, "We'll be there after lunchtime."

"Sounds good!" I said. An idea came to mind. "Make sure you have swimwear!" I advised.

I heard excited murmurs. "Alright! See you, Ashley!" The others gave similar goodbyes.

"Later." I hung up.

I came back to the kitchen, where Raya was flipping a few pancakes. "Are they coming?" she asked.

"Yep, after lunch," I answered.

"So soon?" she gasped.

"Well, they did get kicked out of their hotel," I reasoned.

Raya chuckled. "They're so crazy." She flipped the pancakes onto a plate and set it on the kitchen table. "Here are your pancakes, your majesty."

"Thank you," I said smugly, sitting down at the table. She set down a fork and knife, maple syrup, and butter.

"Good thing we bought more than one outfit yesterday," she said.

"Actually, I had a different idea for today," I said. "I think we're going to have to go get some new swimwear..."

Her eyes lit up, and she gasped. "Ah! I'm so excited!"

"We're going to have to look hot for the boys," I said flirtatiously. "Especially for Keegan." I winked at her.

She stuck out her tongue. "Shut up. Besides, I saw the way you looked at Ian."

My mouth dropped open. "How did you-"

"Oh, I suspected it," she said smugly. "But you just confirmed it."

I glared at her. "Be quiet, or else I won't help you get all dolled up."

"You know you love me," she said. "Who made you these perfect, golden chocolate chip pancakes? That's right. Me."

I slathered the pancakes in syrup. "Yeah, because that's exactly what friends are for," I teased.

She laughed. "Oh, hurry up and eat so we can go shopping before lunchtime!"

Lunchtime. That's when the boys were coming. And I would again meet up with the Mystery, otherwise known as Ian.

Raya and I got back to my house and quickly changed into our new swimwear. I put on my new brown bikini that made my skin look tanner. Over that, I put on short denim shorts and styled my dirty blonde hair into natural waves, sexy but simple. Raya put on short Soffe shorts and a low v-neck over her new white and orange striped bikini. I did her brown hair somewhat like mine, except I wove a waterfall braid around her head, making it look like she wore a crown. She looked absolutely gorgeous.

We skipped out of my room, and I asked, "You ready for them boys?"

She nodded excitedly. Her phone rang and she looked at the screen. "It's my mom," she said. "It might be a while." She scowled and answered her phone. "Hey, mom! . . . Yes, I'm still here with Ashley! . . . We're not alone! Her mom is here. . . . "Oh, come on! Can't I just stay a little bit longer? . . ." She continued to argue with her mom and headed to my room to talk with her more privately. Honestly, I was glad I didn't have to hear the rest of their conversation.

I shook my head, thinking about how terrible it'd be to live with Raya's parents.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

I was jolted out of my thoughts by someone banging on the front door.

"Ashley! It's us!" I heard Ashley yell.

I laughed and opened the front door. They all picked up their bags and rushed inside. Ian quietly wandered in last, taking in the interior of the house. I shut the door behind him.

"Home sweet hoooooooooome!" Ashley yelled loudly, causing everyone to plug their ears.

"Shush!" I hissed, holding back a grin. "You're so loud, Ashley!"

Keegan just laughed his adorable, care-free laugh.

Raya came in with a pissed look on her face. But it disappeared once she saw the boys. "Hey, guys! I thought I heard something!" she said.

"Hey, Raya!" the cast greeted. Well, everyone but Ian.

She beamed, obviously still trying to get used to seeing them and hearing them say her name.

"Alright, I'll show you to your rooms," I said, heading towards the stairs without waiting for a response. After making sure they were following me, I walked up the stairs. It felt weird to be going this way, because I didn't spend much time on the second floor.

I stopped in the hallway. There were five doors. I motioned to the two on the right and said, "These are two rooms-" I motioned to the doors on the left and continued, "And there's another room and the bathroom you all have to share. Don't mind the door at the end of the hall. It just leads to the roof."

"I call rooming with Julian!" Ashley said, dragging Julian with her inside the first room on the right.

That left Ian the room next to the bathroom on the left. Alone. A look of sadness flashed across his face, but it was quickly replaced by the blank expression i was used to seeing him plaster on. He grabbed his stuff and opened the door to his guest room. His eyes lingered on the door at the end of the hall for a second before he shut his door.

Now I was alone.

Awkward.

Suddenly, Keegan poked his head out of the door and said, "What are your plans for today?"

I smirked. "Remember my call? Go put on your swimwear!"

He grinned and retreated back into his room.

I went back downstairs to search for Raya. I ended up finding her in my room getting her stuff together.

"Why did your mom call?" I asked her.

"She wants me back home by six o' clock," she said bitterly. "And just to make sure, I come home, she's picking me up."

"I'm sorry," I said, giving her a pitying look.

She smiled. "It's alright. I'm used to it now. At least I can still hang out with the cast a little bit."

All three boys appeared in the doorway. "Did I hear you talking about us?" Julian asked.

I turned around to face them and started to say, "Yes, actually. We were just talking about how ugly you guys are..." My voice trailed off as I got a look at them. They were the complete opposite of ugly, especially since they were shirtless, only wearing swimming trunks. My eyes lingered on Ian, who looked especially hot.

"We're not so ugly, are we?" Keegan asked smugly.

I groaned and walked out of my room, smacking the back of his head as I passed by.

My mom walked through the living room and opened the house door. She saw me, and the boys were right behind me.

"You're leaving?" I asked.

She nodded, her eyes then darting to the three shirtless maniacs behind me. "And these are the boys?"

"Yep," I said.

She had a disapproving look, probably having to do with the fact that they were all half-naked, but shook her head and said, "I have to go to the office. Be careful, Ashley."

"I will, Mom," I said. "See you later."

"Bye, honey." She left, closing the door behind her.

The girls had intrigued looks on their faces.

"What is it?" I asked them.

"She just... looked exactly like you," Shay spoke up. "It was weird, that's all."

I rolled my eyes. "I get that a lot. Anyway, ready to go out back?"

They whooped and hollered.

"Raya! Come on, we're going outside!" I yelled.

She joined us, and we exited through the sliding back door.

The boys gasped as they gazed upon my backyard for the first time. It was completely fenced in by a tall, white fence. There was a large built-in pool, and a large wooden patio that extended from the back of the house. On the patio, there was a contained woodstack for a fire, and there were chairs lined up to lay on.

"Let's have some fun," I declared.

The boys instantly jumped into the pool, all but Ian. He contentedly sat in one of the chairs and laid back, closing his eyes.

I yelled, "Cannonball!" and jumped into the pool. When I surfaced, the boys congratulated me on making such a giant splash. I turned to look at Ian, wondering what his reaction was. His eyes were still closed, as if nothing had happened. A few drops of water had landed on him, and my perverted eyes couldn't help but watch them trickle down his sculpted chest...


	3. Chapter 3

Ashley nudged me with her elbow. I hadn't even noticed him sneak up on me.

"What?" I asked, turning to face him. I looked around to see if any of the other boys had been watching, but they were back to messing around, now seeing who could make the biggest splash.

"I saw you looking at Ian," she teased.

I decided to play it cool and shrugged. I lowered my voice and asked her, "Why won't he get in the pool?"

"He has a fear of water," Ashley said. "Plus, he isn't the most social type, if you haven't noticed by now. Just leave him alone. That's what I and the rest of the cast have learned to do." Keegan jumped on her back, and Ashley threw him off. "Keegan, I am going to punch you so hard in the-"She dove after Keegan, who was desperately trying to swim away.

"You okay?" Raya asked, swimming up to me.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I answered. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"What were you and Ashley talking about?" she asked.

"She just explained that Ian has a fear of water," I said.

"Oh," she said. "Then why did he wear his swimming trunks? Not that I'm complaining..." Her eyes trailed over Ian's body.

I smacked her arm.

"Ow!" she whined. "Fine! He's all yours!"

I rolled my eyes. "I just want to at least get him to... talk. You know?"

"Maybe you should just let him be," Raya said. "It seems like that's what he wants."

"No one wants to be alone," I said.

"Whatever you say," she said, sighing. "But good luck getting him to speak."

"There has to be some way I can get his attention," I said, furrowing my eyebrows in thought.

"I have a few ideas," Raya said, an evil smirk creeping onto her face, making her expression look comical.

"How many times did you practice making that face in the mirror?" I teased.

"Maybe a few times," she admitted, chuckling. "Do you want to hear my idea or not?!"

I leaned in closer, prodding her to explain.

"Show off your hot body," she whispered.

I jumped back and cried, "WHAT?!"

All of the cast stopped what they were doing and looked at us. Julian asked, "...Is everything okay?"

I gave them a fake smile. "Mhm! Everything's peachy!" I took Raya by the arm and dragged her out of the pool. I led her inside and into the kitchen. I wrapped a towel around my waist and tossed her one to do the same.

"Okay, down to business," I said, leaning on the counter next to the sink. "What exactly do you mean by 'showing off my body'?"

"It gets every guy's attention," Raya said with a sly smile. "It can't fail. Plus, you're not exactly ugly, Ashley."

"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically. "So what exactly do I do?"

"Oh, you know..." She went on to explain.

By the time she was finished, my eyes were almost popping out, and my mouth hung open. "I'm not a slut!" I explained.

"Of course you're not!" she said cheerfully. "You don't have to do everything I just said. Those were just a few suggestions."

"A few?! No. I won't do it," I stated.

"Look, after tonight, you won't have to do it again," she said. When I didn't say anything, she asked, "Do you want Ian to notice you or not?"

I sighed. "Fine. But if this doesn't work, you owe me. Big time."

"Oh, it will," she said with complete confidence. "It will."

It was about 5 PM, and the others started getting out of the pool. Raya got out with them and winked, giving me the signal. I inhaled slowly, not sure if I should do this. But I took a look at Ian, deciding it was worth it. I took in another deep breath. This better work.

I dunked one last time under the water and came back up, slicking my hair back seductively and biting my lip. I put my hands palm-down on the end of the pool nearest to Ian and slowly slid out of the water, my eyes closed and my chest forward. I let the drops of water trail down my skin. Once I was out, I got my towel and wrapped it around my waist. I felt all of the boys' eyes on me-except Ian's. His eyes were trained on the phone in his hands.

Raya noticed my anxiety and said, "Hey, Ashley, you want to lay out a little in the sun?" She mentally prodded me on.

"Sure," I said breathily, trying to sound sexy like Raya told me to do. She followed me to the chairs next to Ian. I sat down next to him, and Raya sat down in the chair next to me. I propped myself up on my elbows and slowly unwrapped my towel, opening my legs a little more than usual. Again, all eyes were on me-except for Ian's. I pretended not to notice or care and laid back, closing my eyes.

After a little while of sunbathing, Raya said, "Let's go inside. I don't want to get burnt."

I opened my eyes. "Alright," I agreed, letting her pull me up. "Where are the othersl?" I asked her. Even Ian wasn't out here anymore.

"They went inside to unpack and get showers," she explained.

I smacked her arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" she asked.

"You owe me!" I yelled. "You said it would work, but it sure as hell didn't! God, now they probably think I'm some hoebag. You know, that's probably why they went inside in the first place..." I rambled on and on, and rushed inside the house, running into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry," I said quickly.

"It's okay." I looked up. It was Julian. Once he realized it was me, he smiled.

"Sorry," I said again.

"It's alright," he said. "By the way..." He lowered his voice and leaned down so I could feel his breath on my ear. "You look hot in that bikini." He pulled away just enough so I could see his face and winked.

I pulled my towel around me and muttered with a smile on my face, "Flirt." I pushed past him and could hear him chuckling behind me.

"I'm just messin' around, babe," he said.

Babe? Really?

I turned around and stuck my tongue out at him before continuing to my room. I took a quick shower and changed into my Batman PJ's-a black t-shirt with the yellow batman symbol on it, and short black PJ shorts with the yellow symbol scattered all over them. When I came out of my bathroom, Raya was on my bed on my laptop.

"Ever heard of privacy?" I asked, wrapping a towel around my head.

She looked up at me and said, "So I guess my plan wasn't a total failure, was it?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She sighed. "I saw your little interaction with a certain Julian Morris." She held up her hand. "Save it. It's alright. Really. It was just a little crush. There are other fish in the sea."

"Like Keegan?" I suggested, hoping I didn't give away Keegan's not-so-secret crush on her.

She laughed. "Um, I don't think so."

"Why not?" I asked innocently.

She gave me a look, changing the subject. "I'll just go and give you some "privacy". I'll make a proper dinner since all we've had is snack food."

"Ok. I'll be out in a second, after I do something with my hair," I said.

She left, and my eyes wandered to my open laptop. I didn't know much about the boys, so it wouldn't hurt to do some research, right? I mean, I should know more about who's staying in my home.

I quickly jumped onto my bed and clicked on the YouTube shortcut.

"Um... Ashley? What are you laughing at in there?" Raya asked, her voice muffled behind the door.

I slammed the laptop closed. "Don't come in!" I said quickly. I mentally slapped myself upside the head. Seriously? That sounded so innocent, didn't it?

"Well... Food's ready," Raya said, sounding confused.

"I'm coming," I said. I almost walked out, but I realized that my hair was still in a towel. "Shit," I muttered. I said louder, "I'll be out in a second!"

"Alright, but you might want to hurry, or else the boys will eat all the food. Especially Keegan," she said.

I heard a guy voice say, "Hey! I can hear you, ya know!"

I chuckled. "I'll be right out." I quickly ran into my bathroom and dried my hair for a few minutes, just so I could more easily put it up into a messy bun. I put on a little make-up and ran out of the room, through the living room, and into the kitchen. Five boys were around the six-seat table, their plates full of food. But Keegan's plate had several layers of food.

"Geez, you like to eat, don't you, Keegan?" I commented.

"Sorry, Raya just cooks real good," he said. His cheeks immediately grew a light shade of pink.

"Aw, shut up," Raya said bashfully.

I piled some fancy food on a plate for myself. "It's true, Raya," I said. "You really can cook." You and Keegan would be perfect together.

"It's true," Julian said. The others chimed in with similar compliments.

Raya rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide her smile. "Thanks, guys."

I pulled a stool over to the end of the table, leaving the last seat for Raya.

"Thanks," she said, as she sat down next to Keegan. Yeah. I'm not that nice. I wouldn't give up the last seat for no reason.

HONK!

All eyes darted to the front of the house where the honking noise came from.

Raya sighed and got up. "That's probably my mom." She headed towards the door, grabbing her stuff.

"Wait, don't you want your food?" I called after her.

"I'll just get some at home!" she answered. She left quickly, knowing that if she delayed, she'd tick her mom off.

"Is that a Batman shirt?" Keegan asked me randomly.

"Naw..." I answered sarcastically.

He huffed. "Stupid Belgian. Superman is way better."

"Excuse me?!" I excplaimed loudly, making everyone cringe (except Ian, who acts like everything around him is invisible).

"Superman is so much more original," he said.

"You mean old," I corrected.

He gave me a look. "The Superman movies are so much better," he argued.

I gasped. "Have you even seen the Dark Knight?"

His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "What's that?"

My mouth dropped open. "That explains everything." I quickly got up. "Alright. Everyone to the living room right now. We're watching the Dark Knight."

"But it's so cold in there," Julian whined.

"Julian, shut up," Shay said. "Be grateful she allowed us to stay here."

"Yeah, listen to Emily Fields" I said.

They all looked at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Since when were you a crazy fan?" Julian asked.

"I just decided to do a little research to make sure I didn't have crazy people living in my home," I defended. "Turns out I do, but it's too late now."

Ashley gasped, feigning offense. "We are not crazy!"

Julian laughed. "Yeah, you are, Ash."

"Julian, if anyone here is crazy it's you," Keegan said.

They all started arguing.

The corners of my mouth turned up into a smile, as I got an epiphany.

The others quieted and Julian muttered, "Why is her face like that?"

"I know what we'll do," I said. "Everyone grab their comforters."

"Our what?" Keegan asked, confused.

"Grab you're duvet," Shay explained. "In Belgium, it's called a comforter."

"Ohhhh," the boys said (except for Ian).

"Hurry!" I exclaimed.

They all jumped up, their chairs raking the word floor and making the worst grinding noises. They ran to their rooms, leaving a bunch of food and dirty dishes on the table. Only Ian stayed behind. I took Raya's plate along with my own to the sink. When I turned around, I saw Ian picking up a few plates. He brought them to the sink, doing to same for the rest of the plates.

"Thank you," I said, a little surprised, but grateful.

He nodded.

Wait. He actually nodded?! I inwardly rejoiced. Finally, we're getting somewhere.

We all crowded around the fire on the large back patio, the Dark Knight movie projected on the side of the house. Each of us had our own blanket wrapped around us, and we would occasionally pass around the popcorn bowl.

Ashley was totally drawn into the movie. I was too. I've seen it countless times, yet it always seems to freak me out.

Suddenly, the joker stabbed the guy in the head with a pencil, making Troian and I scream. She literally screamed loud, her yelp almost blending together with mine. I would've laughed, but I was about to pee my pants. I grabbed the hand nearest to me, and I felt familiar zings go throughout my body. I turned to look at him.

Ian.

His eyes were still focused on the movie, but I saw the right corner of his mouth turn up, a little higher than I've seen before. It disappeared within a few seconds, but I was happy. It just confirmed my theories. No one wants to be alone, no matter how much they lie to themselves and say they do.

The movie was over, and the fire was almost gone. I got up and shut off the projector. I started to ask them, "So what did you guys think—"

"That was the worst ending ever!" Ashley exclaimed. "How can it just end like that?! The joker wasn't caught, Batman didn't do his job, and—"

"Ashley!" I interrupted. "Be quiet! I have neighbors, you know!"

She pouted and crossed her arms.

"So you liked it?" I asked.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes! I liked it! You happy now?"

I chuckled and said, "Yes. Very." I patted myself down to look for my phone, but realized I didn't have any pockets. I had left it in my room. So I asked, "Does anyone know what time it is?"

Shay and Keegan rushed to get their phones out of their pockets.

"10:31!"

"No, it's 10:32!"

"It's 10:31, Keegan."

"Look at the screen! It says '10:32'."

"Okay, now it does," Shay said.

"Ha!" Keegan declared in triumph.

"That still doesn't matter, though," Shay defended. "When I looked at my phone, it said 10:31."

"That's a load of bull—"

"Guys!" I interrupted. All three boys looked at me, and that included Ian. I couldn't believe that he actually acknowledged my existence. I gave him a small smile before continuing. "Since we have some time, how about we celebrate your first night here?"

I heard cheers, and Julian asked, "What's your idea?"

"Let's make s'mores," I said with a large smile.

"Yes!" the boys cheered.

"I'll go inside and get the stuff, and you guys try to get the fire going," I said. "Please, don't catch anything on fire."

Ashley saluted me. "We make no promises."

I rolled my eyes and headed into the kitchen. I searched throughout the pantries, but all we had were a few stale graham crackers, mini-marshmallows, and no Hershey chocolate except for a few Hershey Kisses. Well, this sucks.

I poked my head out the back door. To my horror, I saw two boys fighting with a block of wood. But as I looked behind them, Ian was calmly adding wood to the fire and blowing on the left over embers to get the flames burning again. I softly smiled.

"I'm heading to Delhaize!" I announced. "Who wants to come with me?"

The two boys stopped fighting, and they all raised their hands.

"Hrm…" I said. "I think I'll pick…" I scanned the boys. Julian was a big flirt… Or there was Keegan. Plus, I needed to talk to him about Raya. "I'll pick Keegan," I said.

Keegan fist pumped, and the others dropped their hands in defeat.

"Come on," I said, beckoning Keegan inside. He hurried inside, and I slid the back door closed.

"Can you drive?" Keegan asked as I grabbed the keys and my mom's credit card off the counter.

"Duh, I'm almost eighteen," I said. "Go out to the car. I just need to get my phone real quick, and I'll be right out."

He headed to the front door, and I ran to my room. I grabbed my phone and shoved it in my bra, since I didn't have pockets in my Batman PJ shorts.

I hurried outside to the car where Keegan was waiting at the passenger door. I clicked the unlock button on the keys, and he got inside. I slid into the passenger seat and started the car.

"Are we seriously going to the store in pajamas?" Keegan asked. He looked down at his white t-shirt and plaid flannel pants.

I said, "Dude. Everyone goes to Delhaize in pajamas."

"Okay," he said laughing. "Belgians are crazy."

"Hey!" I said, offended. "You do know that I'm a Belgian, right?"

"Exactly." He turned on the radio. The song "One Thing" by One Direction came on, and Keegan sang along. He had a really good voice, but it made me jealous. I couldn't stay on key to save my life.

We got to Delhaize, and I hopped out with Keegan. We walked inside, and I grabbed a cart.

"What's that for?" Keegan asked. "I thought we were just getting a few things?"

"Well, if you guys are going to be staying at my house for a few days, you're going to need more than just a 'few things'," I said.

He jumped up and cheered, "Woo hoo!"

We went up and down the aisles, piling food into the cart. He literally filled the cart up halfway after just a few aisles. We were in the sixth aisle when I finally built up enough courage to asked, "So. Raya, huh?"

He couldn't make eye contact with me and stuttered, "W-what about her?"

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "It's obvious you like her, Keegan! Just admit it."

He sighed, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "Why does it matter? She doesn't like me anyway."

I comforted him by patting his shoulder. "She'll come around," I said softly. "Once she realizes how great of a guy you are."

He gave me a weak smile.

We continued to go down the aisles, piling junk food into the cart, along with tons of stuff for s'mores (mostly Hershey bars). We got to the cash register, and the cashier scanned everything (which took a while). The final price came up.

"Are you sure you can pay for all that?" Keegan asked.

"Of course." I handed the cashier my mother's credit card.

"Is that yours?" he asked, pointing to the credit card.

I smiled. "Nope! Let's get back home!"

By one in the morning, everyone was almost asleep on the patio.

"Everyone upstairs," I ordered. "Up, up, up."

They groaned and slowly found their way inside the house. I waited until they were all upstairs to see the condition of the backyard.

I gasped.

Candy boxes and wrappers were strewn across the yard, the pool cover needed to be put over the pool, and there were marshmallows stuck in a small tree. I pretended to roll up imaginary sleeves, and I set off to clean up.

When I got back inside from cleaning up, it was some time after two o'clock. I headed to my bathroom, but it was clocked. Damn it! This wasn't the first time I locked myself out of my bathroom. That's why we hid a spare key. But I didn't remember where we hid it last, and I didn't feel like searching for it for a while since I really had to pee. Instead, I ran upstairs and went into the bathroom the boys were sharing.

When I was done and washed my hands, I turned off the light and quietly opened the door. I heard the sound of someone moving and stopped. No one else should be up but me. I poked my head around the door frame and saw… Ian?

Sure enough, Ian was quietly exiting him room, holding something in his hands. I couldn't tell what exactly it was in the darkness. He looked around as if to check if the coast was clear. Once he didn't see anyone, he proceeded to creep to the door at the end of the hall. He opened the door, went inside, and shut the door behind him.

Why would he go there? It only led to the roof.

I zipped back downstairs and into my room, scared from the lack of light. I jumped onto my bed and snuggled under the covers.

Why would Ian be sneaking around at night?

I woke up to the sound of the front door shutting. I jumped out of bed as I recognized his footsteps.

"Hey, Dad!" I said, giving him a hug.

"Hey, sweetie," he said. "How have the cast been?" He took off his jacket and set his brief case down by the door.

"They've been great," I said. "Where is Mom?" She hadn't come home from yesterday when she left for the office.

"They called her to another office for her book," he said. "She'll be staying in a hotel near there."

"Oh."

"Listen, honey, I have to get some sleep," he said. He kissed me on my head. "Have a good day, darling." Without another word, he disappeared to his room.

I looked at the clock. It was 10:17am. How could the others not be up yet? I hustled up the stairs and opened the first room on the right. "Wake up!" I yelled.

Ashley got up slowly at first, but she quickly adjusted. "Hey, Ashley!" she greeted. Julian didn't budge.

I moved on to the next room. I yelled the same thing, and Keegan, Shay and Troian all reluctantly got up.

I then turned to Ian's room. Should I wake him up? What if he thought I was weird for doing that? But I woke up the others, so technically it would be weird if I didn't wake him up.

I swallowed my anxiety and opened the door. I saw Ian's figure in the bed. "Ian! Wake up!" I said cheerfully.

He didn't budge. I closed the door and let him be.

I went downstairs and into the kitchen. I wished Raya were here so she could make some kind of amazing breakfast. But she wasn't. So instead, I took out many boxes of cereal, the jug of milk, bagels, and cream cheese.

"Come down if you want breakfast!" I yelled. I instantly regretted yelling, since my dad was trying to sleep.

They came into the kitchen: Ashley, Keegan, Shay, Troian and Ian. Hrm. Maybe he heard me after all.

"Where's Julian?" I asked.

"He's still asleep," Ashley answered. "I couldn't get him up."

An evil grin spread across my face.

"What? What is it?" Shay asked.

"I'll be right back," I said. "Help yourselves to any food in this kitchen."

I ran into the living room and searched everywhere for the key to the bathroom. I finally found it underneath the couch. I ran through my room and to my bathroom, quickly unlocking it. I ran inside ad unplugged my straightener, wrapping the cord around it. I ran upstairs and crept inside Julian and Ashley' room. I plugged it into the outlet closest to the bed and turned it on. I slowly pulled down the covers so Julian's locks were exposed. I took a lock of his hair, picked up the straightener, and pressed it together. I pulled it down his lock of hair, and it came out straight. I tried to contain my laughter as I continued with the rest of his hair.

He didn't move once. When I was finished, I unplugged the straightener, put the covers back over his head, and ran out. I returned to my bathroom and lay the hot straightener on the counter next to the sink to cool.

When I came back to the kitchen, the boys were finished eating. That's how long it took to straighten Julian's hair. What can I say? He has a lot of hair.

"What were you doing?" Ashley asked, her eyes bright with curiosity.

I shrugged, smirking. "You'll see."

A scream rang out from the second floor. I tried to hold in my laughter; I'd never heard Julian scream before.

"What the hell?!" I heard him yell. He zoomed down the stairs and entered the kitchen.

All the boys gasped at the sight. His usually thick, curly hair was now thin and straight. Needless to say, he looks like an ugly girl with a bad haircut.

"Ashley! I am going to kill you!" he growled.

"I didn't do it!" Ashley said defensively.

I couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out in laughter. The others joined in soon after. I looked at Ian. Both corners of his mouth were slightly turned up, and his eyes actually had a small twinkle in them.

"It's not funny!" Julian insisted. "Who did it?!"

All head turned towards me.

"Ashley?" Julian gasped.

I glared at the boys. "Geez, guys, make it a little more obvious next time." I turned my head back to Julian. "Who else has a straightener, Julian?"

The others started snickering, but Julian silenced them with a glare.

"I'm going to take a shower," he mumbled, heading back upstairs.

Once he was going, Ashley gave me a high five. "Genius!" she exclaimed. "Usually I'm the one doing the pranks."

"So I've heard," I said, chuckling a little. "So what do you guys want to do today?"

They all shrugged.

"Do you have any games?" Shay suggested.

I smirked. "Follow me." I exited the kitchen with the boys on my heels, leading them to a small door in the corner of the living room. I opened it, revealing piles of board games and tons of video games for X-Box Kinect, Wii, and PS3.

"Oh my gosh," I heard Keegan gasp.

I turned to them and asked, "What do you want to play first?"

After a few hours of the board game "Life" and Call of Duty on the PS3, Raya came in through the front door. I paused the Batman game Ashley and I were currently playing and jumped up to greet her.

"Hey, Raya!" I exclaimed. "Did you mom finally let you out of the house?"

"Well, I have to be back by seven, because she's taking me to some shelter to feed the homeless," she said sadly.

I held back a snicker, but the boys didn't do as well in keeping it in.

"Be quiet!" she cried. "It's not my fault!"

I decided to change the subject for her benefit. "You want to join us? We're just playing some games."

"Sure!" she said happily, throwing her purse and keys on the couch.

I saw Keegan staring at her out of the corner of my eye. He looked a little nervous, which was very unlike him.

I decided to play match-maker.

"Let's play Twister!" I exclaimed, grabbing it from the game closet.

"Yes!" Julian exclaimed. His hair was back to its mess, since he showered.

"Alright," I said. "Well, Ashley and I have to finish this game. But the rest of you guys can play." That would mean Raya and Keegan would become all tangled together, like I'd planned.

Ian's phone suddenly rang. He got up off the couch and headed upstairs to answer it.

"Ashley, you play with them," I said. "I'll be right back."

She gave me an understanding glance. I ran upstairs and sat down next to Ian's door. My ears strained to hear.

"Hey, Mum. . . . No. . . . I know, Mum. It's just—I mean, I can't— . . ." It was quiet for a little bit.

His voice broke my heart. It was filled with such sorrow. I just… I didn't know what I could do. I felt so helpless.

Ian continued, "Don't worry about me. Please. You have enough to worry about at home. . . . I know—" I could hear him choke up. "Go, Mum. Please. And don't call me again."

Was he about to cry? What was going on? I thought he would miss his mom. Why would he tell her not to call again?

He hung up, and I heard him sigh.


	4. Chapter 4

Realizing he would probably be coming back out soon, I became alarmed and tried to sit up quickly. But I heard him get into his bed, and decided to sit back down. I don't know why I wanted to stay here sitting next to his door. Maybe I just wanted to help him, but didn't know how. In a lot of ways, this is what had been going on the whole time.

I've been outside his door, willing to do anything to help, but he won't let me in.

"Do you think we should wake her"

"Maybe. Why is she here anyway?"

"You idiots. Don't wake her. Hold on, I'll get her."

I felt strong arms go under my legs and back, lifting me off the ground. He felt warm, so I snuggled into his chest.

He lay me down on a soft and plushy surface. A bed. He crawled into bed next to me and turned off the lamp.

"Goodnight," he said. He gave me a kiss on the cheek and lay down.

I woke up in the dark wondering where I was and why I wasn't in my room. Then I remembered everything that happened. I looked at the body next to me, his chest rising up and down. It was Julian. He's the one who carried me in here. I remembered the kiss he gave me and put my fingers to my cheek, still able to feel his lips on my skin.

What the hell? I wasn't attracted to Julian.

I felt the urge to pee, and got up. The digital clock said it was 2:16am. I slowly opened the door so I wouldn't awaken anyone. A dark figure was entering the door at the end of the hallway. I recognized the hair and realized that it was Ian. Why was he going in there again? What was he doing every night?

I rushed to the bathroom, did my business, and rushed back to Julian and Ashley' room. I almost tripped over Ashley in the process, who was laying on the floor asleep. She must have given up her side of the bed for me. The thought made me smile.

I got back into bed, accidentally nudging Julian. He mumbled something in his sleep and rolled over, throwing his arms and legs around me. I struggled to escape his hold, but he was too strong. I finally surrendered and decided to try and get some proper sleep. This position was actually quite comfortable. I fell into a deep sleep in no time.

I woke up to a flash. My eyelids fluttered open and I felt constrained. It was because Julian's arms were still around me. His head was resting in the crook of my neck, and his legs were tangled with mine.

Ashley stood beside the bed with a camera.

"Ashley!" I yelled.

Julian groaned and woke up. "W-wha… What's going on?"

"Julian, get off me!" I said.

He lifted his arms and separated his arms from mine. "I don't even remember…" His voice trailed off.

"Ashley! Delete that picture!" I ordered.

"Nope, it's going on Twitter," she said, running out of the room.

I knew there was no point in chasing her, so I stayed put.

"Sorry, Ashley," Julian said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it," I said. "It was an accident." And I enjoyed it.

He looked relieved.

"Breakfast is ready!" voices yelled up the stairs.

Julian took my hand and ran, dragging me with him. We got into the kitchen, and everyone looked at us with raised eyebrows. I pulled my hand out of Julian's.

"What?" I asked.

Ashley snickered. "Check your Twitter."

I grabbed my phone out of my bra. The boys' mouths dropped open.

"What?" I asked innocently. "I didn't have any pockets."

I unlocked my phone. I had a text from my dad explaining that he left last night for work. I also had a text from Raya saying goodbye from last night. I went to the Twitter app. I had tons of mentions and new followers. "What the hell…?" I muttered. Then I saw the tweet that everyone was talking about and retweeting. Ashley had tweeted the picture of Julian and I tangled in bed, asleep, and the headline said, "Sleeping well, are we?" She mentioned me in it, explaining my sudden popularity.

"God, Ashley!" I exclaimed, slapping her arm. Hard. I scrolled through the mentions I got, most of them asking about my relationship with Julian.

I quickly tweeted, "Julian and I are not together. Ashley was just being an asshole. Xx"

Ashley looked at her cell and obviously saw the tweet. "That was not very nice," she said.

I stuck out my tongue. "Truth hurts."

She pouted. "Harsh."

I tussled her hair. "Oh, you know I love you."

"I thought you loved me," Julian said. "Everyone on Twitter says so." He gave me a kiss on the cheek, his lips lingering on my skin a little longer than necessary. I found myself looking at his lips, wishing they were on mine. I tried my best to shake off the thought.

I decided to mess with his head. I grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him to me. I leaned in so my lips were only an inch away from his. He closed his eyes. But instead of kissing him,

I pushed past him, and he stood there, stunned. I heard the others snicker.

I eyed the waffles and pink lemonade on the table. "Thanks guys. But you're the guests. You didn't have to make me breakfast."

"It's a thank you from us to you," Troian said.

"Oooo, yummy," I said, grabbing a paper late. "You are very welcome." I put a few waffles on my plate and grabbed a fork. I began to eat. I felt very uncomfortable with them watching me while I ate, so I announced, "I think we should go shopping today. Go get ready."

They cheered (except for Ian), and they all headed upstairs. Only Ashley stayed behind.

"So what's up with you and Julian?" she asked.

I let out a forced laugh. "Nothing is going on."

"I'm speaking out of concern for you, Ashley," she said. She leaned against the table next to me and said quietly, "Julian flirts with a lot of hot girls, okay? Don't fall for it unless you really like him."

I smiled. "You think I'm hot?"

She rolled her eyes. "Is that all you got out of it?"

"I know, I heard you," I said. "Don't worry. I know Julian."

"Yeah, plus you like Ian," she said, nudging me with her elbow and letting out a wolf-whistle.

I lightly punched her arm. "Shut up. He's in the house and could hear you. Besides, he won't even talk to me."

"True, true."

I debated whether or not to ask her what I had been wanting to. I decided that I had nothing to lose. "Hey, Ashley? Can I asked you something?" I bit my lip.

"Of course. You can ask me anything."

"Um… what does Ian do at night?"

She looked confused. "He goes to bed?"

I nodded nonchalantly. Even Ashley didn't know.

"Ashley. I hate to say this but… The best thing you could do for yourself is give up on him. If you haven't noticed by now, he won't open up to anybody. We've all tried."

Obviously not hard enough, I thought. I gave her a fake smile.

"He's barely even talked after what happened to him—" Ashley stopped herself.

I raised my eyebrows and dropped my fork. "Wait. What happened to him?"

She shook her head. "It's not for me to tell. But if you do happen to get him to become his old self again, it'd really be amazing. Just don't get your hopes up too high, or else you will be more disappointed if you fail." She hugged me. "I've got to go get ready." She started to leave.

"Ashley?" I said.

She stopped and turned around. "Yeah?"

I got up and gave her a hug. "Thank you. For being here to talk to. You're an awesome friend."

I felt her smile. "Of course. I'm always here for you."

I let her go and slapped her on the butt, making her jump. "Now get up there and get ready. We have a fun day ahead of us," I said.

She laughed and ran upstairs.

All I could do was sit back down, wondering what had happened to Ian.

"I'm ready, Ashley!" Keegan exclaimed, coming into the kitchen.

"Good, 'cause I'm not," I said, still in my PJ's. "Oh, by the way, Keegan… I've been meaning to ask you about something."

His cheeks turned pink. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think otherwise!" I said in a sing-song voice. "How did Twister go with Raya last night?"

He bashfully looked at the ground.

"Tell me!" I demanded, shaking him by the shoulders.

"Well… She, uh, fell on me a couple of times…"

I squealed.

"Don't tell anyone," he begged. "I mean, I know I felt something. But she probably didn't, and I… Oh, I don't know!"

"Don't worry," I said. "I'll get you two together."

His eyed widened. "No, Ashley. Please don't—"

"I'M BACK!" Raya's voice rang out from the living room.

I left the kitchen to greet Raya. "Hey!"

"Hey, Ashley!" she said. She looked around. "Where are the others?"

"They're getting ready," I said. "How about you go to the kitchen while I get ready? The boys made some pink lemonade." And Keegan's in there.

She gave me a confused glance, but headed to the kitchen.

"Hey, Raya," I heard Keegan say nervously.

I smiled. They were so cute. I ran to my room to get ready. I waved my hair and put on red skinny jeans, a striped shirt, and I borrowed suspenders from my Dad's closet. Yes, I was purposefully making fun of Ashley because we had the same name.

The others were dressed and ready in the living room when I came out. "Ready?" I asked.

They all looked at me with amused expressions. Ashley' was the most hilarious. She was wearing almost the same outfit as me, but the stripes on her shirt were thinner.

"Ashley, you like my outfit?" I teased.

She rolled her eyes. "Are we going shopping or not?"

"Out to the car we go!" I announced.

The whole group followed me out to the car. Great. We'd all have to squeeze in five seats. Never say never, right?

I looked back at an expressionless Ian. Right, I thought. Never say never.

We finally got inside the house. I angrily threw my shopping bags on the floor.

"I cannot believe you got us kicked out," Shay huffed, plopping down onto the couch and crossing his arms.

"It wasn't my fault they wouldn't give me more than one sample," Keegan muttered. "I love orange chicken."

"But you seriously thought that changing into a disguise would trick them?" Julian asked.

Keegan pouted his lip, looking adorable. I couldn't help but fall for it and pulled him into a hug. "It's alright," I said. "You can't help it if you love food."

"Exactly," Keegan said.

Troian rolled her eyes. "Don't fall for it, Ashley. He got us kicked out of the blasted mall!"

"You didn't have to argue with the police," I pointed out.

He opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it.

After a few quiet seconds passed, we all fell to the floor laughing.

"Best shopping trip EVER!" I exclaimed.

"How long are we banned for?" Julian asked, wiping away tears.

"A week," I replied.

We all laughed again.

"Whelp. I'm wasted," Ashley announced. "I'm going to bed."

"We too," Keegan and Troian said.

Ian quietly followed both of them up the stairs.

"Sorry about today, Ashley," Shay said maturely.

I smiled. "It's fine. I actually quite enjoyed it. Goodnight, Shay."

"Goodnight." She headed up the stairs like the others.

I turned to Julian. "Are you going to bed too?"

"Nope, I think I'll stay down here," Julian said. "Where's the remote?"

I picked it up and threw it to him.

"Thank you." He plopped down on the couch, laying out and resting his head on the arm of the couch.

I shook my head in silent laughter and headed to my room. I locked myself in the bathroom and got into the shower. I let the warm water sooth me and sorted through my thoughts. I actually did have fun today. Keegan's just lucky that Raya's Mom had picked her up before he pulled his little stunt. I chuckled as I thought about it. Everyone had been laughing (except Ian). Speaking of Ian, what would it take to get him to return to being normal? Also, what did he do at night? Maybe I should follow Ian tonight and see for myself. I wouldn't feel closure if I didn't. It's decided then, I thought. Tonight I'm following Ian.

I got out, tied a towel around me, and quickly blow dried my hair. I put on random PJs and opened the bathroom door.

I passed through my room and into the living room. Fortunately, Julian was asleep on the couch, so I continued to go up the stairs. I hid inside the bathroom until I heard the door at the end of the hall open and shut. A few minutes later, I decided to get up and leave the bathroom. I walked to the end of the hallway and slowly turned the knob of the door. I slowly pushed it open and shut it behind me. I walked up the narrow winding stairs until I came to the mini-balcony. This was the side of the house, so the roof sloped on the front and back, not here. I looked down and saw straight to the ground. I stepped out onto the first stair of the fire escape and kept going up until I came to the corner of the house. Why was there a fire escape? This house used to be an old, small apartment building. Of course, now it was remodeled, but they kept the fire escape. I poked my head around it. Sure enough, there was Ian. He was dangerously sitting on the edge, his feet dangling. He held a guitar and next to him was an open notebook, he had a pencil behind his ear. He started to strum on the guitar.

I pulled my head back around the corner and sat down, hugging my knees to my chest. I wondered what he was doing out here with a guitar. But against all odds…

Ian started to sing.

He was quiet at first, but he progressively got louder. I closed my eyes to let his velvet voice sink in.

After a little, he stopped. I poked my head back around the corner, and he was writing something in the notebook. Except, his hand didn't look like it was writing. It looked more like he was scribbling, or coloring. Confusion flooded my thoughts.

I sat back down and leaned against the house. He started singing again a few minutes later, and I sat down in pure bliss.


	5. Chapter 5

As the days passed by, after having fun with the others, I snuck out after Ian each night. He sang the same song each time, and by now I had the words memorized.

I was actually thankful for the cast. Now I wasn't so alone, and I was genuinely happy. I even called off the bet with Raya, saying she didn't owe me a month of breakfast anymore. She'd already repaid me enough by forcing the cast into my life.

And now they were leaving on Saturday, which was a week away. There was even more pressure on me now, to get Ian to open up. I talked to Raya and the boys about it often, but they only told me the same thing over and over: give up. But I refused to do that.

Each night that I snuck out to spy on Ian, I tried to build up enough to go out on the roof with him and talk to him. But each night, I chickened out. And since tonight was Saturday night and I had work in the morning, I decided to skip following him altogether.

That night though, I had trouble getting to sleep. It seemed that I couldn't get to sleep without hearing Ian's voice.

I woke up early the next morning, tired from the lack of sleep. I knew the others wouldn't be up yet.

I did my usual round around the neighborhood and returned the dogs to their owners by nine. But I stopped at Mrs. Muck's house.

After I let her Chihuahua run inside her house, I asked, "Mrs. Muck, can I ask you something?"

Her eyes clouded with motherly worry, and she quickly pulled me inside. "Of course you can, dear."

I thanked her, and she led me to her back room. It was a greenhouse, but completely closed in with glass walls. Sunlight poured in, lightening the mood. I sat down at a two-person table and Mrs. Muck sat on the other side. This is where we always went when I needed to talk to her about something. Yes, I've done this more than once. Sometimes it's nice to talk to someone other than your friends about things, and actually talk to an adult who'd been through it all. And trust me: Mrs. Muck has been through it all. She was really different now than the crazy teen she used to be.

"What is it, sweetie?" she asked me, taking my hand in hers across the table.

"It's about a guy," I said.

Her eyes twinkled. "This wouldn't happen to be about the boy on the roof you watch every night, is it?"

I gasped, my eyes wide with shock. 'You've been spying?!"

She shook her head. "Dear me! I wasn't spying! I was just checking on my Azaleas when I heard that young man singing. I couldn't help but see who it was?"

I looked out the glass wall of the greenhouse and saw that she had a perfect view of the roof.

"So what about him?" she prodded.

"Apparently, something happened to him," I said. "But the others won't tell me what it is."

"Others?" she gasped.

"It's not like that!" I quickly said, waving my hands. "They just needed a place to stay. They're leaving Saturday."

"Oh," she said, satisfied.

"Anyway," I continued. "Ian never talks."

"The boy on the roof?"

I nodded. "I watched all the old videos of them before they came here, and he was actually happy. But now he doesn't talk to anyone. He just stands in the background, shutting off the world."

"And you like him, but he won't open up?" she guessed

"Yep," I confirmed. "And another weird thing happened. I listened through his door when his mom called—"

"And you called me a spy?" she scoffed. She patted her white hair with a wrinkled hand.

I ignored the comment. "As I was saying, I was innocently listening in to his phone conversation with his mom, and he told her not to call him again. Why would he do that? He's miles away from home, rarely gets to see her, ever, and he tells her not to call again? It just doesn't make sense!" I realized that I hadn't taken a breath between words, and I breathed heavily.

Mrs. Muck gazed intently at the table in thought. Her kind gray eyes were clouded over, and she held her hands together on the table.

"So what to you think?" I asked, unable to stand the silence anymore.

Her eyes met mine. "Why haven't you talked with him at night, when you two would be alone, out of earshot of everyone else?"

Great. That made me feel even more stupid for not talking to him yet. "I've tried to many times. I just haven't mustered enough courage, yet."

"And you say they leave on Saturday?" she inquired

"Yes."

"And today's Sunday?"

"Yes."

"So that's six days?"

"Yes!" I said. "I know! It's not much time! God!" I ran my fingers through my hair. I'd just worn it down today, since I was too tired to do anything with it.

She had an amused look on her face.

"Don't look at me like that," I muttered. But I couldn't help but let a small smile find its way on my lips because of how ridiculous I was acting. Pretty soon, I was laughing. "Sorry," I apologized. "I'm just… freaking out."

She chuckled and said in her old, grainy voice, "Don't worry. I understand that you need to let it out."

I smiled. "You're awesome, you know that?"

Her expression then became serious. "Ashley, listen closely. This boy has obviously been through something bad enough to make him feel that there is no hope, no reason to continue living life like he used to. He needs someone to be there for him, to show him the love he so desperately needs, and to show him that there is a reason to live life. I think that you feel the need to be that person, Ashley. And I believe that you are the right person to do it."

A tear ran down my cheek.

She continued, "Now, go talk to that boy. Tonight. And don't let anything stop you. Ashley, go and change that boy's life."

I got home at noon after some more conversation and some tea with Mrs. Muck.

"Where were you?!" Raya shouted, pulling me into a hug.

"I was just at work," I said struggling to get out of her grip.

She finally let go and said, "But it's noon. Aren't you done at nine?"

"I had to take care of a few things alone the way," I said in a tone that meant this conversation was over.

She looked concerned, but let it go.

We walked into the kitchen where the others were attempting to make sandwiches. I say "attempting" for a reason. Julian was probably going to have to spend an hour in the shower to get the peanut butter and mayonnaise out of his hair.

"Anyway, how was interacting with hobos last night?" I asked Raya, changing the subject.

She gave me a look. "I can't believe my mom made me go back to that homeless shelter. Apparently, they responded well to me or something."

I tried not to laugh, but failed miserably. Some kind of snort-grunt noise came out from my pursed lips. Ashley chuckled, raising his eyebrows. I stuck my tongue out at him

"And, uh, something else happened last night," Raya murmured so the others couldn't hear.

I quickly pulled her aside, in the corner of the kitchen, and whispered, "What happened?"

She looked at the ground in embarrassment. "Well, I needed a ride home. You wouldn't answer your phone, so I, uh… called Keegan." She said the last part so quiet, I wasn't sure if I heard it correctly.

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"Keegan picked me up and took me home," she said a little louder than before.

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed loudly.

All heads turned towards us.

"Um… excuse us for a second," I apologized. I rook Raya by the arm and took her to my room. I shut the door and locked it.

"Explain. Now," I ordered.

"There's nothing more to explain," she said. "I called for Keegan to pick me up."

"Wait. He doesn't have a car," I pointed out.

"You left your keys on the counter, so he took yours."

I gave her a mean look. ""I'm only letting this go, 'cause you two are so cute," I said.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please." But her cheeks turned a slight rosy color.

"You like him, don't you?" I asked, my mouth forming into a smile.

She smiled, biting her lip. "I-I don't know."

I sighed. "Then I guess I have to be a good friend and tell you to take your time and sort out your feelings."

She laughed. "Yes, yes you do."

I groaned. "Then let's get back out there so you can flirt with him."

She rolled her eyes. "You're unbelievable."

I winked. "I know."

This was it.

I was really going to do it.

No, I can't—yes! I can! I'm going to do it!

I lay sitting up in my bed, debating with myself until the clock hit 2 AM. He would be going out onto the roof now.

I exhaled slowly, pulling off my covers and putting on my slippers. I wore my best PJs: a cute off the shoulder sweatshirt and black short flannel shorts. I don't know why I dressed this way. Maybe because I felt like tonight would be special. I was finally going to talk to him.

I crept up the stairs and though the doorway. I knew the way well now, so it didn't take long before I was sitting on the stairs of the fire escape, waiting for him to sing. Pretty soon, he started strumming the chords that I'd heard almost every night, the song that comforted me in my dreams as I slept.

I hummed along as he sang:

_"Gotta change my answering machine_

_Now that I'm alone_

_Cause right now it says that we_

_Can't come to the phone_

_And I know it makes no sense_

_Cause you walked out the door_

_But it's the only way I hear your voice anymore_

_It's ridiculous_

_It's been months_

_And for some reason I just_

_Can't get over us_

_And I'm stronger than this_

_Enough is enough_

_No more walking round_

_With my head down_

_I'm so over being blue_

_Crying over you"_

_"And I'm so sick of love songs_

_So tired of tears_

_So done with wishing you were still here_

_Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow_

_So why can't I turn off the radio?"_

_"Gotta fix that calendar I have_

_That's marked July 15th_

_Because since there's no more you_

_There's no more anniversary_

_I'm so fed up with my thoughts of you_

_And your memory_

_And how every song reminds me_

_Of what used to be"_

_"That's the reason I'm so sick of love songs_

_So tired of tears_

_So done with wishing you were still here_

_Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow_

_So why can't I turn off the radio?"_

_"Leave me alone_

_Stupid love songs_

_Don't make me think about her smile_

_Or having my first child_

_I'm letting go_

_Turning off the radio"_

_"Cause I'm so sick of love songs_

_So tired of tears_

_So done with wishing she was still here_

_Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow_

_So why can't I turn off the radio?"_

_"Said I'm so sick of love songs_

_So tired of tears_

_So done with wishing she was still here_

_Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow_

_So why can't I turn off the radio?"_

_"And I'm so sick of love songs_

_So tired of tears_

_So done with wishin' you were still here_

_Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow_

_Why can't I turn off the radio?_

_Why can't I turn off the radio?"_

When he was finished, tears literally filled my eyes. I had never been in such sorrowful silence in my life. I could hear the pain in his voice. I wiped the tears from underneath my eyes carefully with my fingers and involuntarily sniffed. Loudly.

I froze and sat as quiet as I could. A few minutes of deadly silence passed by, and I began to assume that he hadn't heard me.

"Ashley, I know you're there."


	6. Chapter 6

His voice acknowledging me made my heart stop.

I gritted my teeth and stood up, my legs shaking. When I peered around the corner, Ian was gazing up at the sky. I wasn't sure if he really knew I was there. But I had to talk to him tonight. I'd promised Mrs. Muck I would.

I carefully climbed onto the roof, balancing myself by holding out my arms. I sat down next to Ian and dangled my legs over the side like he was. I tried my best not to look down.

"How'd you know I was there?" I asked.

"You aren't very good at being quiet," he said. "Not during any of the other nights either."

I gulped. Not only had he known I'd been following him, but now he was actually talking to me. His voice caused shivers to run through me, and I found it hard to focus. I could feel his body heat though he sat a foot away from me.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

I thought through Mrs. Muck's advice. She told me not to pry for answers righ away, but to just be there for him. "I was just listening to your singing," I answered.

He didn't respond. We sat there in a peaceful silence, studying the stars.

"Did you write that song?" I asked.

He nodded.

"I really like it," I said. "You should share it with the world, and maybe you'll be a singer too."

He looked down at his lap and bit his lip. "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

He didn't answer.

My eyes wandered to his open notebook. There was a drawing of the flowers from Mrs. Muck's garden. He saw me looking, and quickly slapped the notebook closed.

"Did you draw those?" I asked.

He didn't reply and diddled with his fingers.

I decided to let it go. Mrs. Muck told me not to expect any answers at first. It'd take time for him to open up. "Well, those are really good drawings."

The corners of his lips turned up, closer to a smile than I'd seen on his face before. He laid down on his back, folding his hands on his chest. I lay down, trying to discretely scoot closer to him. Feeling more of his body heat made me shiver.

"You cold?" he asked.

"A little," I lied. Don't judge. I'm sure you would do more just to get Ian closer to you.

As I'd hoped, he put his arm around me, scooting me closer. "Better?" he asked.

I put my finger to my lips. "Hrm… not quite." I pulled the beanie off his head and put it on my own. "Better," I said, tilting my head up to smile at him.

His body shook, and I heard a small chuckling noise.

Was he… laughing? I got Ian Harding to laugh? Sure, it was a small laugh. But I could deal with it. I found myself grinning like an idiot at my small success.

The next two hours passed like minutes. I fought to keep my eyes open and stifled back a yawn.

"You tired?" he asked.

I shook my head no, but my body chose the perfect time to force out a yawn.

"You should go to bed," he said.

I rubbed my eyes while I nodded. I precariously stood up, struggling to balance on the slope of the roof.

"Wait." Ian grabbed me by the wrist, and electricity shot up my arm.

"Y-yes?" I stuttered.

"You coming out tomorrow night?" he asked.

I smiled at him. "Of course."

He let go and said a simple, "Okay."

I held up my arms for balance and made my way back to the fire-escape stairs. I hustled to the balcony and hopped back inside the house.

Once I got back to bed, I lay down, sighing in contentment. I'd done it. I talked to Ian: he talked back, he even laughed. Sort of…

I fell asleep, a smile on my face.

I woke up, turning over and looking at the clock on the nightstand.

Shit! It was almost noon!

I got up and almost ran out the door, but I reeked of outdoor smell. I ran back to my bathroom, getting a hot shower. The hot water woke me up, and I hummed a random tune as I got ready. It was Ian's song, I realized.

I decided to just let my hair down since I didn't know yet what we were doing today.

I ran across the living room and slid across the wood floor of the kitchen.

"You seem happy this morning," Ashley commented, slathering strawberry cream cheese on a bagel.

The others eyed me curiously, Ian's eyes glued to his bowl of cereal.

"What, I can't be happy?" I asked, picking up the carton of chocolate milk and taking a swig.

Julian stuck his tongue out in disgust. "Ew! That is so gross! You don't do that often, do you?" He glanced at his glass of chocolate milk.

"Nope," I said with a shy smile. "That was my first time ever doing that."

Ashley took her phone out and snapped a picture as I took another swig of chocolate milk. She started tapping on the screen, obviously typing something. She set her phone on the counter with a playful smirk on her lips.

I gave her a dirty look before pulling my phone out of my bra to see what she'd posted on Twitter. I tapped on the Twitter app. My mentions were blowing up and I had gotten about five-hundred new followers. I quickly went to Ashley' profile to see what she tweeted. It was an unattractive picture of me gulping down chocolate milk from the carton. Ashley tweeted with the picture, " A_crazy_gurl_xx drinking from the carton. #gross"

I opened up a new tweet, mentioning Ashley in it and typing, "Ashley making out with her pillow in her sleep." I attached a picture I'd taken of Ashley all wrapped around her pillow when she fell asleep on the couch.

"What did you post?" Ashley asked me as I triumphantly set down my phone.

Keegan got out his phone, eager to get in on the Twitter war. He chuckled as he saw our tweets. He replied to both of us, tweeting, "Girls, girls, you're both pretty. Can we have breakfast now?"

I laughed in apprectiation at his reference to the movie Megamind, where he got that quote from.

"Very funny, Keegan," I said.

He grinned back at me.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed a paper plate.

We'd ended up just having a lazy day. By the time it was seven o'clock, we all reeked of chlorine, and we were on the second Lord of the Rings movie. Suprisingly, the cast hadn't seen any of the Lord of the Rings movies, so I'd forced them to watch them. They got sucked in right away and were all now watching the screen intently as Aragorn fell off the cliff.

My phone started ringing, and all the boys' heads whipped around towards me and they hissed, "Shhhh!"

I chuckled and went to my room to answer the call. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Raya. My mom said that I could spend the night tonight!"

"Really?" I tried my best to sound excited, but it was hard to. All I could think of is how the heck I'd get around her so I could sneak out with Ian tonight.

"Are you too busy or something?" she asked. "Because we're already on our way and I'll be there in a few minutes."

"No! Come on over!" I said quickly, shaking my head even though she couldn't see me.

"Okay then. I guess I'll see you there."

"Yup. Bye." I hung up. I walked back to the living room, grabbed the remote, and paused the movie right as the screen showed the almost-dead Aragorn on the ground. I got whines and complaints in return.

"Oh, hush up. Raya is coming. She'll be here in a few minutes," I said.

Keegan immediately jumped up and ran to his room, probably to put some pants on, considering he was only wearing boxers and a white t-shirt. He wouldn't dare wear that in front of his beloved Raya. I chuckled to myself just thinking about it.

Ashley pouted and crossed her arms. "We're finishing this movie after Raya comes."

I mock saluted her. "Aye, aye, cap'n."

She gave me a look and turned his attention back to the television screen, as if staring at it long enough would make it start playing again.

As if on cue, Raya came in and Keegan came back out, now fully clothed with red sweatpants on over his boxers. They met each others' eyes and simultaneously looked away. An idea came to mind—a way to get Raya and Keegan together.

"Let's start the movie now!" Ashley whined.

"Oh, Ashley! Stop your whining!" Troian ordered.

Ashley indignantly shut her mouth and huffed.

"I have a better idea," I spoke up.

All eyes looked at me, making me suddenly feel awkward. After a few seconds of dreadful silence, Julian asked, "What is it?"

I cleared my throat. "I thought it'd be fun to play Truth or Dare."

Julian smirked in approval, and Shay exclaimed, "Yes!"

The only ones that were hesitant were Keegan and Raya. And of course, Ian said nothing. I doubted he'd play.

"Oh, come on, guys," Julian pressured. "Have a little fun. YOLO."

Those of us that wanted to play sat in a circle on the living room carpet. Raya and Keegan exchanged nervous glances before finally joining us. Ian stayed on the couch, which wasn't a shocker.

"Who's first?" I asked.

Immediately, Ashley raised her hand. "I am! What are the rules?"

I shrugged. "Let's just make it simple. You dare someone else to do anything you come up with. Anyone who is too chicken to do it sleeps outside tonight."

She raised his eyebrows. "I can do anything?"

I smirked. "Anything."

She tapped her finger to his chin in thought as he looked around the circle. "I pick… Julian."

Julian's eyes snapped up to meet Ashley' mischievous ones.

Ashley continued, "I dare you to lick the seat of the loo."

Horror flashed across Julian's face. "No way," he stated.

"Do you want to sleep outside tonight?" Ashley challenged.

Julian gulped and stood up, the rest of us standing up with him. We followed him to the first floor's bathroom, which was next to my parents' room. The door was already cracked open; Julian pushed it, and it swung open the rest of the way. All focus was on the distance between him and the toilet.

He straightened his back and cut the distance one step at a time. We all held our breaths as he got down on his knees and leaned down. His tongue poked out and he inched closer and closer to the deceptively clean porcelain. The tip of his tongue met the seat, and he quickly slid it across. We groaned and make vomiting noises in disgust.

"Ashley, when I said anything, I didn't mean for you to try to think of the worst thing you could come up with," I said.

"You were practically begging me to," Ashley said, flashing me a smile.

After Julian washed his mouth out under the sink, we returned to our circle formation on the living room floor.

"Who's next?" Ashley asked, excited to go on from the thrill of the previous dare.

I couldn't wait any longer. "I will," I volunteered.

Every turned to me expectantly.

I pretended to think for a minute, though I already knew what I was going to do. "Um… I choose… Keegan. I dare you to kiss Raya."

He flicked his eyes up to meet mine. "What?" His expression was a mixture of anxiety and disbelief.

I nodded in conformation, and added, "It has to be mouth to mouth."

Raya looked at me, her face reading, I can't believe you right now.

To make it more awkward, they were already sitting next to each other and shifted uncomfortably.

He muttered something to Raya as if asking for permission. She curtly nodded. They both turned to face each other, Keegan putting his fingers under her chin. He tilted her head upwards and pressed his lips to hers. They were both hesitant and stiff at first, but they soon melted into the kiss, just as I had hoped and predicted would happen. I can't deny that I had been nervous.


End file.
